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Thai is spoken exclusively in Thailand, by approximately 60 million people. The dialect spoken in the Central Region is regarded as Standard Thai and is used throughout the country in schools, in the media and for official purposes.

Very distinct regional dialects are spoken in the north, northeast and south of the country.

Thai television programmes are received and understood in neighbouring Laos, where the national language is closely related to Thai.

Outside Thailand, the largest concentration of Thai speakers is in Los Angeles, California, where there are an estimated 80,000 Thai immigrants.

Thai is a tonal language, so the learner has to get used to recognising the pitch of a word. Thai has five tones:

- mid tone as in 听 喙勦浮喔ム箤 [mai], mile
- low tone as in 听喙冟斧喔∴箞 摆尘脿颈闭, new
- high tone as in 听喙勦浮喙� 摆尘谩颈闭, wood
- falling tone as in 听喙勦浮喙� 摆尘芒颈闭, not
- rising tone as in 听喙勦斧喔� 摆尘菐颈闭, silk

For some learners hearing and producing different tones comes easily, while for others it takes more time and practice.

Learning a new script also presents a challenge, but most learners find it easier than they expect. The Thai script is used uniquely for Thai. If you can read Thai you will recognise some Lao and Cambodian letters, and you鈥檒l find that knowledge of the Thai script gives you a major advantage when learning to read Lao and Cambodian.

Word order in Thai is similar to English. Basic grammar poses fewer problems than more familiar European languages because there are no verb or noun endings.

The sentence 听喔夃副喔权箘喔涏竵喔编笟喙赌喔炧阜喙堗腑喔� [ch煤n bpai g霉p p锚u-un], (literally, I-go-with-friend) could mean I am going with a friend/friends, I went with a friend/friends or I鈥檓 going with a friend/friends.

Usually the context will make the meaning clear, but the speaker may add words such as an expression of time (听喔炧福喔膏箞喔囙笝喔掂箟 [pr脭Ong n茅e], tomorrow), or an expression of quantity (听喔弗喔侧涪 摆濒菐颈闭, several) to eliminate any possible ambiguity.

Most Westerners will only know Thai words if they have visited the country.

Familiar words are 听喔曕父喙娻竵 喙� [tuk-tuk], a motorised pedicab, or if you鈥檙e interested in Thai food you might know 听喔曕箟喔∴涪喔赤竵喔膏箟喔� [tom yam kung], spicy prawn soup and 听喔权箟喔赤笡喔ム覆 [nam pla], fish sauce or even Thai boxing, 听喔∴抚喔⑧箘喔椸涪 [muay thai].

But Thai has borrowed many words from English, adapting them to the Thai sound system. For example e-mail is 听喔傅喙赌喔∴弗 [e-may] because Thai has no final 鈥榣鈥� sound, and stressing the second rather than the first syllable, as in 听喔娻箛喔笡喔涏复喙夃竾 [chop-PING], shopping, because Thai has no 鈥榮h鈥� sound.

A favourite Thai tongue-twister is 听喙冟竸喔｀竞喔侧涪喙勦竞喙堗箘喔佮箞 [krai k菐i k脿i g脿i], who-sell-egg-chicken.

Another is 听喙勦斧喔∴箖喔浮喙堗箘喔∴箞喙勦斧喔∴箟 [m菐i m脿i m芒i m芒i], 苍别飞-蝉颈濒办-诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛-产耻谤苍.

Thai is full of elaborate expressions of four words or syllables of similar meaning which are grouped together to create a pleasing visual effect through the use of rhyme and alliteration.

Here鈥檚 a typical example of such an expression which is difficult for non-Thais because of the -eu-a vowel sound, which features in three of the four words: 听喙赌喔阜喙夃腑喙赌喔熰阜喙夃腑喙赌喔溹阜喙堗腑喙佮笢喙� [锚u-a f茅u-a p猫u-a pair], to be generous, liberal.

Jokes are often difficult to translate effectively but here鈥檚 one of them:

听喙�喔｀阜喔竵喔编笟喔｀笘喙勦笩喔娻笝喔佮副喔權苟泥斧喔ム阜喔腑喔班箘喔� 喙赌喔弗喔粪腑喙赌喔娻阜喙堗腑
[reu-a g霉p r贸t fai chon gun l臎u-a a-rai? l臎u-a ch锚u-a]
What鈥檚 left when a boat and a train collide? Disbelief.

The joke hinges on the word 听喙赌喔弗喔粪腑 摆濒臎耻-补闭, which means left over, remaining, but when combined with 听喙赌喔娻阜喙堗腑 摆肠丑锚耻-补闭, believe, it means unbelievable. What is unbelievable is that a boat and a train could be on a collision course.

Proverbs and traditional sayings often have a humorous flavour:

听喔娻箟喔侧竾喔曕覆喔⑧笚喔编箟喔囙笗喔编抚喙赌喔覆喙冟笟喔氞副喔о笡喔脆笖喙勦浮喙堗浮喔脆笖
[ch谩hng dtai t煤ng dtoo-a ao bai boo-a bp矛t m芒i m铆t]
You can鈥檛 hide a dead elephant with a water lily leaf.

You can鈥檛 cover up a huge mistake.

听喔涏复喔断笚喔竾喔弗喔编竾喔炧福喔�
[bp矛t torng l菙ng pr谩 ]
To stick gold leaf on the back of a Buddha image.

This refers to the Thai custom of applying small pieces of gold leaf to a Buddha image as an act of religious merit-making. Normally, people would apply it to the front of the image, where their virtuous actions are visible for all to see. Therefore, applying it to the back of the image means doing good without seeking recognition for it.

Thai is closely related to Lao, the national language of neighbouring Laos.

Although Cambodian is not related to Thai, the Westerner who has learnt Thai will notice similarities between the languages which have resulted from close contact and centuries of borrowing between the two.

Westerners often mistake the Thai use of first names as a sign of informality and equality. To be on the safe side, use 听喔勦父喔� [khun], Mr/Mrs/Miss in front of a person鈥檚 name, even when addressing or referring to them in English.

With no universally agreed system, the Romanisation of Thai words can cause confusion, embarrassment and complete mispronunciations. The female name 听喔о复喔犩覆, Vipa, for example, bears no resemblance to the English viper. The 听喔�, v is pronounced as a w, the 听喔复, i is short as in bin, and the 听喔覆, a is long as in father, so Vipa is actually pronounced [wi-pah].

It鈥檚 common to have ph and 迟丑鈥� in Romanised Thai first names and place names, but Westerners often get them wrong. The female name 听喔炧福喔椸复喔炧涪喙�, Phornthip, for example, is pronounced [Porntip], not 鈥楩ornthip鈥�, and the popular tourist destination 听喔犩腹喙赌喔佮箛喔�, Phuket, is pronounced [Poo-get], not 鈥楩oo-get鈥�. So if a Thai presents you with their business card, it鈥檚 worth checking how they actually pronounce their name!

When it comes to body language, the head is regarded as sacred and the feet as dirty. Thais show respect to people of senior status by deliberately trying to keep their own head at a lower level in conversation or when passing by. Western habits such as pointing at something on the ground with a foot and putting the feet up on the desk are offensive to Thais, as this is reserved for resting a foot on the rail behind a tuk-tuk driver鈥檚 seat, perilously close to his head.

A famous line that most Thais will have learnt in school is:
听喙冟笝喔權箟喔赤浮喔掂笡喔ム覆 喙冟笝喔權覆喔∴傅喔傕箟喔侧抚
[nai n谩hm mee bplah, nai nah mee k芒o]
In the water there are fish, in the paddy fields there is rice
It appears on the King Ramkhamhaeng inscription (see point 9, below) and describes the abundance of natural resources in the kingdom of Sukhothai during the 13th century AD.

Among readers of romantic novels, the dying words of the heroine of Siburapha鈥檚 1937 novel, Behind the Painting are a favourite:
听喔夃副喔權笗喔侧涪喙傕笖喔⑧笡喔｀覆喔ㄠ笀喔侧竵喔勦笝喔椸傅喙堗福喔编竵喔夃副喔� 喙佮笗喙堗笁喔编笝喔佮箛喔复喙堗浮喙冟笀喔о箞喔侧笁喔编笝喔∴傅喔勦笝喔椸傅喙堗笁喔编笝喔｀副喔�
[ch煤n dtai doy-ee bpr脿ht-sa-j脿hk kon t锚e r煤k ch煤n. dt脿ir ch煤n g么r 矛m jai w芒h ch煤n mee kon t锚e ch煤n r煤k]
I die with no one to love me. Yet I am content that I have someone whom I love

The first example of Thai writing is believed by most Thais to be a stone inscription found on a four-sided pillar at Sukhothai, dated 1292 AD. In this inscription King Ramkhamhaeng describes the prosperity of his kingdom, its legal system, the social and economic organisation of society, the benevolence of its ruler and even the invention of the Thai script. In recent years, the authenticity of the inscription has been challenged by a number of academics, both Thai and foreign, but this debate has had little impact beyond a narrow academic circle.

Polite words can鈥檛 be translated but have a grammatical function or convey the mood of the speaker. They are used at the end of a sentence to convey politeness. Male speakers add the word 听喔勦福喔编笟 摆办谤煤辫闭 at the end of a statement or question, while female speakers use 听喔勦箞喔� 摆办芒丑闭 at the end of a statement and 听喔勦赴 摆办谩闭 at the end of a question.
Male: 听喔笟喔侧涪喔断傅喙勦斧喔∴竸喔｀副喔� [sa-bai dee m谩i kr煤p?] How are you?
Female: 听喔笟喔侧涪喔断傅喔勦箞喔� [sa-bai dee k芒h] I鈥檓 fine, thank you.

Female: 听喔笟喔侧涪喔断傅喙勦斧喔∴竸喔� [sa-bai dee m谩i k谩?] How are you?
Male: 听喔笟喔侧涪喔断傅喔勦福喔编笟 [sa-bai dee kr煤p] I鈥檓 fine, thank you.

There is a range of pronouns for expressing different levels of respect and familiarity. Some nouns and verbs have formal and informal variants. For example: to know - 听喔椸福喔侧笟 摆蝉芒丑辫闭 is formal and 听喔｀腹喙� 摆谤贸辞闭 is informal to eat - 听喔椸覆喔� [tahn] is formal and 听喔佮复喔� [gin] is informal.

Formal variants are used when talking to people of higher social status (e.g. students talking to teachers, employees talking to bosses) and people you don鈥檛 know. Informal variants are used among friends, in informal situations and when talking to people of equal or lower social status.

But when it comes to talking about royalty, there鈥檚 a whole new vocabulary that has to be learnt, for example, for parts of the body and everyday actions. Thus, an ordinary person鈥檚 eye is 听喔曕覆 [dtah], but if you are talking about a king鈥檚 eye, you have to refer to it as 听喔炧福喔班箑喔权笗喔� 摆辫谤补-苍芒测迟闭; and while 听喙勦笡 [bpai] means go, when talking about kings and other royalty, it has to be preceded by 听喙赌喔笖喙囙笀喔炧福喔班福喔侧笂喔断赋喙赌喔权复喔权箘喔� [sa-d猫t pr谩-r芒ht-cha-dum-nern bpai].

Thais use the same expression for good morning, good afternoon and good evening 听喔抚喔编釜喔断傅 [sa-w霉t dee], followed by the appropriate polite particle. So male speakers say 听喔抚喔编釜喔断傅喔勦福喔编笟 [sa-w霉t dee kr煤p] and female speakers say 听喔抚喔编釜喔断傅喔勦箞喔� [sa-w霉t dee k芒h]. This greeting is often accompanied by a 鈥榳补颈鈥� gesture, where the head is bowed and the hands brought together in front of the face in a prayer-like position. It鈥檚 the responsibility of the person who is younger, or of lower social status, to initiate the 鈥榳补颈鈥�, to which the other party will respond with a 鈥榳补颈鈥�. Foreigners, new to Thailand and eager to appear friendly, sometimes unwittingly cause embarrassment by 鈥榳补颈-颈苍驳鈥� a waitress, a taxi driver or young children.